Summit

We reached the summit of the Dragons Horns via the West Face at 12 noon on wednesday the 19th, shattered and exhausted just in time to receive the full force of the midday sun. You know what they say about mad dogs and english men, which is probably an apt name for the final pitch. We were on the wall continuously for 5 or 6 days and were jubilant with the clear skies and fresh south breeze on the summit.

We had originally planned to follow a corner system out right through the impending scoop, however loose death blocks the size of TV sets 60ft above where Steve was belaying meant we (Steve) chose a line out to the left. At first we were dismayed to have to turn away from this aesthetic final pitch but soon realised our new line took us to the highest point of the West Face, a most excellent outcome.

Rounding a blind lip with some aid up an overhang and curving crack the summit seemed impossibly far away and the exposure over the north west face was immense and very impressive. There are some appealing lines to the left, which appeared to be less steep and with more ledges. One could even get a plumb direct line.

It was a hard five days on the wall and a 24 hour continuous push from the summit to Mukut awaited us. Through the night we began to rappel our pitches with our massive pigs. Crashing back to the Trench our fondly named jungle base camp and quickly realising it was no place to spend the night in the dirt headed for Mukut.

The prospect of a final run back in to the forest to collect our remaining kit still hung over us. A quite depressing task in deed, but eventually it was completed.

Now we're kicking back in KL for a few days and enjoying the normality of tourism. Keep watching the blog as we will post some photos of the climb from our digital cameras in the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading!

Matt and Steve.

Resupply

We have made a swift visit back down to Mukut to pick up some essential supplies that we were running low on. The pitch through the roof took a lot longer than expected, along with the hauling to the base of the roof. I (Matt) took four falls on the roof pitch, two of them around 30ft or so, ripping out a time consuming and technical aid traverse of copperheads, hooks, tipped out Peckers and finally some short tied off knifeblade pitons which gave way under bodyweight.

Hauling our 100kg loads (mostly water) has proven the most tedious part of the climbing so far. The last day we got caught out in a rainstorm, the wall was streaming with water from all the overhangs, some free falling a hundred metres and then landing twenty metres out from the wall.

We are heading back up today and will probably spend tonight on the wall beneath the roof. We aim to reach the summit from here in a multiday push, not sure how long it will take but we have food and water for six days including our descent. We don't get phone coverage on the west face so maybe out of touch for a week to ten days, will continue to take photos and blog whilst on the wall but will have to send them when we are back down in the village around the 23rd.

Thanks again for tuning in,

Steve/Matt

Wear and tear

So as Matt said we returned to the coast on sunday evening and escaped the claustrophobia, humidity and oppression of the jungle. I really wouldn't recommend it as somewhere to relax, as we spent most of the time in camp green with envy of friend's chilly bivis on the wide and winding glaciers of the Alps.

The final pitch below the great roof at half height initially looked OK from below but on viewing from our last belay was shown to blank-out, this leaves us with the predicament of how to cross it to get into the system of cracks that will lead us through the roof. The blankness of the slab is also echoed in the total lack of protection and for that matter after three or so metres, the lack of even the most minute edge to hook.

Our woes, or my woes in particular, were compounded when hanging on a hook, primed for a swing back into the belay if it popped, when my index finger became the meat in a 22oz. hammer sandwich, the blow intended for a fiddley number one bird beak (piton) split the pad of my finger and the end still remains numb three days later further adding to our growing list of ailments! Matt is also enjoying a numb big toe after the sole of his right shoe decided to delaminate and split - have a look at the picture attached, along with the broken pump for the MSR Dragonfly, which is currently being re-glued together (crudley). Let's hope the fuel leak doesnt catch light and set the portalegde alight as we dangle in it, really would suck both fiscally and physically!

Matt and I have decided that a pendulum will pass the slab and get us across to the roof and into its cracks with the minimum of fixed gear being left.

We completed another water run of 106 litres (kg) to top up our depleted supplies. I (steve) tried to ride the pig full of the majority of the water down the ab stuffing any spare into my rucksack, with a combined weight of over 200kg including me it was a less than graceful descent and I shredded any skin that came between the pig and the gulley wall, I also got a rather nasty burn off my grigri to keep my attention off my numb index finger.

After 10 days of no rain there was finally a storm this afternoon, which should hopefully fill our rain water collection system at camp... We plan to head up again for the push early friday morning and should hopefully be down by the end of next week.

Thanks for tuning in,

Matt/Steve

Down from camp

We're 10-15 metres from the roof now - the last pitch will require a pendulum/tension traverse across a blank slab to a short corner crack. After that a thin, steep and technical crack should bring us through the roof and in to the upper half. The previous pitch was good fun requiring quite a bit of hooking in mostly positive water worn pockets. We've named this pitch 'Loose Change' as I seemed to be constantly searching all the pockets for something worthwhile.

Now at our half way point we are back down in Mukut for the next couple days to catch our breath, restock with water and discuss the final push to the top of the wall - all has gone well so far.

Below is a shot taken of the Horns at dusk last night. The clouds were particularly unique last night, seeming to develop on the Horns itself and wrap and roll down the face, ocassionally forming a halo around the summit.

Thanks for checking in, please continue to do so!

Matt and Steve.

A long wait.

Sent from a small belay ledge about three hundred metres above the forest canopy. Matt leads, you may be able to spot him in the pic, while he places a rivet and continues to hook his way to the next belay, I let the GriGri do the work and text this.

Weather is looking a little ominous and the clouds are swirling around the summit, it's very humid and I am keen for Matt to complete his lead and set an anchor that we might be able to dodge the storm if and when it breaks. Matt's been on this pitch for maybe five or more hours as it's thin aid.

On the up side, we are nearly at the roof that marks the half way point, maybe another pitch after this. It is a massive feature and it looks as if there may be a crack system through the middle, it'll make an epic pitch if the seam turns out to be good.

Above, the overhung scoop is looming and possible lines are showing themselves.

Should sign off now as the pair of fish eagles that have been buzzing around our belay since sunrise are building confidence and I think they have their eyes on my noodles.

3 pitches up.

Matt after jugging the first pitch of the route (looking a little pink). We have climbed three pitches so far and crossed the large vegetated ledge below the massive roof at half height. We are edging our way up towards the roof and to what looks like good crack systems. Above you can also see a somewhat grainy picture of Steve abseiling down the gully.

Multimedia message

Well, we've made our camp at the base of the route on sunday. First night we arrived everything broke; MSR stove has fuel leak and won't pressurise, water bladder exploded, steve's hammock was unusable due to a manufacturing fault and is as useful as a fruit basket and finally the portaledge fly sprung a random leak.

Though fortunately everything is sorted now. Bad luck comes in tens ; )

The first couple pitches to the big ledge are complete. Climbing is nice and steep and hooks have been used as protection. We can now see the massive roof in clear view half way up the face and some decent crack systems leading to the left edge.

Today we're gathering water and hoping to get another couple pitches underway. There have been some storms brewing in the South China Sea, so the weather has been touch-and-go.

We should have some pictures of the route in the next few days. We can't actually get reception at camp or on the face at the minute.

From the portaledge of Matt and Steve,

Thanks for reading!